Baltimore City schools CEO Andres Alonso to step down

Alonso to take prestigious position at Harvard University

Baltimore City schools Chief Executive Officer Andres Alonso has announced that he's resigning.

Baltimore City schools CEO Andres Alonso to step down

Alonso to take prestigious position at Harvard University

Updated: 10:00 AM EDT May 7, 2013

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BALTIMORE —

Baltimore City schools Chief Executive Officer Andres Alonso has announced that he's stepping down to take a position at a prestigious university, 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten confirmed Monday.

Alonso, who has run the city school district since July 2007, will step down June 30 to care for his aging parents in New Jersey, as well as to assume a prestigious professorship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Alonso's chief of staff, Tisha Edwards, will run the school system while the district looks for a permanent replacement.

"Together, the board and I will work through this transition ensuring that we don't miss a beat working for children, our parents and this great community," Edwards said.

Alonso's six-year tenure at the helm of city schools has made him one of the longest-serving big-city school district superintendents in the country. During that time, the district has seen a reversal in four decades of enrollment decline, an increase in graduation numbers and a decrease in dropouts by more than half. Standardized test scores have made significant gains at elementary and middle schools, the achievement gap was narrowed, and he was able to settle a decades-long special education lawsuit.

"To Dr. Alonso, your part of the journey is ending, transition is upon us, but everyone should know that the work will continue," City School Board President Neil Duke said.

Alonso was also able to shift resources that have helped put significantly more money into schools. He was the architect of a recent billion-dollar school overhaul that was approved by the General Assembly. Supporters of the plan said they pledge to carry on the project without him.

"Dr. Alonso sparked the sense of urgency and the collaborative spirit that now has an entire city rallying around its kids in a way we haven’t seen before here in Baltimore. We have changed how we approach public education and watched unprecedented student achievement gains flow from those changes," Duke said.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the schools have made significant progress during Alonso's tenure.

"We are all very grateful for Dr. Alonso's service to the children of Baltimore’s public schools and wish him well as he pursues future endeavors and spends time with family," Rawlings-Blake said.

"Together, we have positioned the district to continue to move upward and forward. With the recent passage of legislation that provides funding for our 10-year buildings plan, the work to provide 21st century buildings for our students is underway," Alonso said in a statement.

In a letter to city schools, Alonso commented on his decision to leave, saying, "It has not been an easy decision, because what we have accomplished together in recent years has been both important and extremely gratifying to me, professionally and personally. But life presents us with seasons, and it is time now for me to shift my focus. … This next chapter in the transformation of our district will be the most critical yet, and I know (the school board) will continue to partner with city schools to make sure it does its best work on behalf of our kids."

National search for replacement to begin

The mayor said the district will immediately begin a national search for a replacement, who they expect to have in place by next school year.

"With the support of Dr. Alonso and countless partners, this administration has already succeeded in delivering more than $1 billion in new funding for school construction and renovation, supported by a doubling of annual city funding. I am confident that there are several qualified candidates across the country that would jump at the chance to be part of an historic school reconstruction effort," Rawlings-Blake said.

Parents and students are already looking to the future.

"I hope they get somebody just as good as him to make the school system better for the kids so they can have a good education," parent Latoya Hill said.

"As long as there is somebody better who comes in and takes his spot, it's not a bad thing for students. I don't see a problem with it," student Courtney Hughes said.

The interim CEO did not rule out trying to hold down the top spot.

"Where we go after the interim, I think, is a conversation I have to have with the board, first things first. I'm still wrapping my head around today," Edwards said.

Alonso has been named a professor of practice at Harvard, which is a position extended to people of national and international distinction who have made a positive impact on education.

"In the past six years, Dr. Alonso has transformed Baltimore City Public Schools," said Harvard Graduate School of Education Dean Kathleen McCartney. "He has closed low-performing schools, reduced the dropout rate by 56 percent, ended a 26-year court oversight in special education and even reached an agreement between teachers and administrators tying compensation to evaluation. His commitment to evaluating what does and doesn’t work has allowed him to be one of the most effective superintendents in the nation."

"Dr. Alonso has been an outstanding advocate and an effective leader who has taken our school system to a higher level of student achievement over the years, making significant contributions to help Maryland create the No. 1 public schools in the nation for five years in a row. His dedication and passion for our children will be sorely missed, but we wish him well in his future endeavors," Gov. Martin O'Malley said.

"Dr. Alonso's presence will be missed in this district, and I am grateful that we were able to come together on a one-of-a-kind contract that our teachers are currently working under. Without Dr. Alonso’s vision and willingness to work with us, the contract would not have happened. In addition, Dr. Alonso whole-heartily supported us as we rallied and pushed for new school construction in Baltimore. He stood with us as we urged Annapolis lawmakers to pass the 10-year Construction Plan. Our schools are now well on their way to not just looking better, but being more conducive to learning and teaching," said Baltimore Teachers Union President Marietta English. "I wish Dr. Alonso much success at Harvard and in any other endeavors he takes on in retirement."